Wool-drier



(No Model.)

F. G. & A. O. SARGENT.

WOOL DRIER.

No. 307,873. Patented Nov. 11, 1884.

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'4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. G. & A. G. SARGENT.

WOOL DRIER. No. 307,878. Patented Nov. 11, 1884.

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4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

F. G. 85 A. G. SARGENT.

WOOL DRIER.

No; 307,873. Patented Nov. 11,- 1884.

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(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4. P. G. & A. 0. SARGENT.

WOOL DRIER.

No. 307,873. Patented Nov. 11, 1884.

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FREDERICK G. SARGENT AND ALLAN O. SARGENT, OF GRANITEVILLE,MASSACHUSETTS.

WOOL-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 307,873, dated November11, 1884.

Application filed April 6, 1883.

To all whom it ntay concern: g

Be it known that we, FREDERICK G: SAR- GENT and ALLAN O. SARGENT, ofGranite,- ville, in the county of Middlesex' and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and use ful Improvement in WVool-Driers, of whichthe following is a specification.

Our improvement relates to machines for drying wool; and it consists inthe novel arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure i represents a side elevation of the machinewith parts of the casing broken away to show the working parts. Fig. 2is a transverse vertical section of the same through the axis of thefans. Fig, 3 represents a portion of the machine with the top removed toshow the automatic apparatus for working the damper. Fig. 4 is a centralvertical longitudinal section of the machine. Fig. 5 is the same as Fig.2 'with the damper reversed.

This machine is of the kind in which the fiber is carried through itupon a traveling perforated apron, and in which the currents of air aredriven through the fiber alternately upward and downward to loosen upand dry it more effectually.

A is the casing of the machine.

13 B are air-passages formed on the outside of the casing, and leadingfrom above the perforated aprons which inclose the fiber to a chamberbelow such apron. These passages connect with such chamber by openingsat Z) b at top and bottom. A shaft, a, extends transversely across themachine, and has upon one end a driving-pulley, a", to revolve it. It issupported in boxes a, secured to the we ing, as shown. There the shaftpasses through the casing, circular holes are cut in the latter on eachside axial to the shaft, and of considerable diameter. Nearly fillingthese holes, and mounted upon the shaft, are two fans, 0 0, one of whichis adjusted to force the air into the machine and the other to draw itout.

Covering or surrounding the fan 0 at one side of the machine is apassage, D, inclosing it on the sides and fitting tightly against thecasing of the machine,'but open at the top to allow for the admission ofair. The upper part of this tubular passage is filled with steam-pipes dd, between which the air must pass in entering it, and the pipes being(No model.)

filled with steam, the air is thus highly heated before entering themachine.

The arrows indicate the direction of the current of air.

E E are two drums placed near the ends of the machine, and mounted onaxes e 6 extending transversely across it. The drum E has its axissupported in boxes 6 which are capable of moving back and forth in slots6 in the casing of the machine, and are secured in any desired positionby the set-screws e 6*. The purpose of these boxes, slots, and setscrewsis to bring a strain upon the perforated apron which extends around thedrums E Eand cause it to be held horizontally on top, where it sustainsthe fiber. This perforated apron F is endless, and is moved by therevolution of the drums E E. This apron passes 011 its lower sidethrough horizontal slots in the vertical partitions K K, as shown inFig. 4, which allow it to traverse through them freely, but prevent theescape of the air-currents.

F is a second perforated apron secured horizontally in the frame of themachine a short distance above and parallel to the upper surface of theapron F, and the apron F, while it allows the air to pass through itfreely, prevents the fiber from being carried off by it when passedupward through the aprons.

G is a feeding-apron to carry the fiber into the machine, passing aroundrollers support ed upon the axes g Upon the axis .r/ is mounted aroller,which yields upward and downward in slots 9 in the ordinarymanner, and serves to admit thefiber, while preventing the escape ofair. The construction and operation of this roller are well known.

At thelead-out end of the machine the yielding flap or apron f, hingedat its top edge to the casing, allows the fiber to escape, whilepreventing escape of the current of air. This flap isniade of some heavymaterial to hold it down, if desired.

Between the upper and lower horizontal portions of the apron F, as itpasses around the drums, are four diagonal partitions, h h and h h,secured at their outer edges firmly to the casing A, and extending atthe ends and joining to partitions K, which are attached to the outercasing, A, at their ends, and extend transversely and verticallyacross'and fill the entire space between said upper and lowertravelingportions of the apron F. These diagonal partitions h h h h areof equal breadth, and the space between their opposite edges is the sameat all points in them. Adamper, I, is mounted on bearings z in thepartitions K K, and is of just sufficient breadth to fill the spacebetween the edges of either pair of diagonally-opposite partitions, h hor h h, as shown in Fig. 2. here the shaft a passes through this damper,a slot, i of a breadth and length to allow the shaft to pass freely, ismade in it. The bearings 73 are in the same right line with the centerof the slot 2" and with the axis of the shaft a, and are at thelongitudinal center of the damper, and are secured firmly in the damper,so as to turn with it. On the end of one of these bearings, Fig. 3, isattached a crank, k, to which is connected the rod k", extending throughthe casing of the machine, and to its outer end is pivoted the link It",to which is in turn pivoted the link which is attached at the other endby a pivot, k to the frame of the machine. The pivot, which joins k andit, passes through one end of a rod, Z, which plays back and forththrough holes in the ears Z 1, connected to the frame-work.

Between the ears, and surrounding the rod Z, is a spiral spring, m,which bears against the collar m attached to the rod Z at one end of thespring and against the ear Z at its other end, and thus holds the rodagainst a cam, 6, attached to the shaft 6 of the drum E. The rod 1 hasits end which bears against the cam rounded to avoid friction. Thelength of the links k k and the position of the crank 70 and rod k areso adjusted that when the spring m holds the rod l against the cam e, asshown in Figs. 1 and 3, the damper Iwill close the space between two ofthe diagonally-opposite partitions h h. hen, however, the cam e isrevolved and the rod Z is forced toward the links 7c is, the latterexpand their ends and move the rod k and crank k, so as to revolve thedamper I a quarter-revolution on its axis and close the space betweenthe other two diagonally-opposite partitions, h h. The drums E E arerevolved by a pulley or gearing of any ordinary construction, attachedto the shaft of one of them.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The air passes into themouth of the spout l), and,bein g heated by the steam-pipes d,is drawninward by the fan 0 and-forced into the machine. The damper being in theposition shown in Fig. 2,the air passes upward through the aprons F Fand into the tubes B B at their top ends, and thence downward and out ofthem at the bottom ends into the space on the opposite side of thedamper I and partitions h h, and thence outward through the fan 0 andout of the machine. The fan 0 has been drawing the air out of themachine during the time that the fan 0 was forcing it in, and a doublepower is therefore exerted upon the current of air by the two fans atthe same time. As the drum E continues to revolve and the apron F tocarrythe fiber through the machine, the cam e forces the the damper I torevolve on its bearings and close the space between thediagonally-opposite partitions h h by means of the rod Z, links 70 k,rod k", and crank k, and the air, being forced inward by the fan 0, nowpasses into the bottom ends of the tubes B B, thence up through them tothe space above the perforated aprons F F and downward through these,and, striking against the opposite side of the damper I and partitions hh, passes outward through the fan 0, as before. The effect of thusalternately passing the air up ward and downward through the fiber is toshake it open and dry every part of it more rapidly, and the rapidalternation of these upward and downward currents greatly assists inthis operation. This is accomplished automatically by thequarter-turning of the damper I upon its bearings; and the entiremachine is very durable and simple in operation. One fan only may beused instead of two, if desired.

We do not claim anything set forth and claimed in the application forLetters Patent filed by us October 12, 1882, No. 74,069; but themechanisms hereinbefore described are improvements upon that shown insaid application.

hat we claim as new and of our invention 1. The combination, in afiber-drying machine, of the perforated aprons F F, one or moreair-passages, B, leading'from the upper to the lower sides of saidapron, the reversible damper I, and the fan 0, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination, in a fiber-drying machine, of the travelingperforated apron F, one or more air-passages, B, leading from the upperto the lower side of said apron, the

damper I, and the fan 0, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a fiberdrying machine, of two fans, one forcingthe air-current into the machine and the other drawing said air-currentout of the machine, with the perforated aprons F F and the damper I',connected with said aprons by suitable air-passages leading from aboveto below. the same, and adapted to reverse the current of air throughsaid aprons, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a fiberdrying machine, of the perforated aprons FF, one or more air-passages, B, leading from above to below said aprons,the reversible damper I, the fan 0, and the pipe D, provided withsteam-pipes d d, substantially as described.

F. G. SARGENT. A. G. SARGENT.

Vitnesses:

ARTHUR B. PLIMPTON, HENRY W. CHUR H.

